The largest Stadium crowd of the season watched shellshocked as the Oilers struck for two goals in 21 seconds and five within 6 minutes 40 seconds to wipe out the Hawks 7-3.

One spectator left happy: St. Louis coach Jacques Demers. Had the Hawks won, they would have climbed into a first-place tie with Demers` Blues, who have been alone atop the Norris Division since Jan. 18.

Paul Coffey and Wayne Gretzky were the Edmonton hitmen who acted on the Blues` behalf. Coffey scored three goals, all in the third period, with two assists. Gretzky had one goal and set up four.

With the five points, Gretzky has 200 this season, the third time in his six-year National Hockey League career he has reached that level. It remains unexplored territory for every other player in NHL history.

``The only defenseman who really can compare to Coffey is Bobby Orr,``

said a prejudiced Glen Sather, Edmonton`s general manager and coach. ``Doug Wilson (of the Hawks`) is next in line.``

Wilson`s 21st goal of the season, against Oilers` goalie Grant Fuhr in the final minute of the opening period, began the Hawks` comeback after they spotted Edmonton two goals in the first 3:30.

The first Oiler tremor, an omen of what was to come in the third period, occurred when Kevin McClelland scored with 2:35 gone in the game. Gretzky scored his 69th goal of the season 53 seconds later.

The second period was perhaps the Hawks` best against Edmonton in the last four seasons. They checked, skated and threatened relentlessly but only once did they score. Bob Murray got the tying goal on a power play with 3:37 to go in the period.

Exactly seven minutes earlier, a skirmish took place that ultimately may have cost the Hawks the game.

It began when Edmonton`s Lee Fogolin tripped Denis Savard near center ice, while the Hawks` Behn Wilson was taking a run at Glenn Anderson. When order was restored, three Oilers--Fogolin, Anderson and Jaroslav Pouzar--and two Hawks--Keith Brown and Al Secord--were penalized, producing a Chicago power play.

But the Hawks were hardest hit. Behn Wilson was thrown out of the game by referee Denis Morel, who charged him with being the third man in the fight between Brown and Anderson. Only 18 seconds earlier, Jerome Dupont had gone off for fighting. The Hawks were left with a three-man defense corps, an undesirable situation that continued for most of the rest of the period.

Just after Dupont came out of the penalty box, Doug Wilson had to leave the game when he was struck on the right ankle by Mark Napier`s shot. Then, rookie defenseman Marc Bergevin received a five-minute penalty for fighting Mark Messier.

``I really think the turning point of the game was when we had the altercation and lost Behn Wilson,`` said Bob Pulford, the Hawks` general manager and coach. ``Because of the penalties, we went for a long period with only three defensemen and our defense was definitely tired later on.

``In the third period, we broke down. We got out of position and started to run around. When you do that, it`s right down their alley. They just kept coming at us.

``The penalty that took Behn out of the game was ridiculous. The films showed he wasn`t the third man in at all. To start the thing, Behn took a run at the guy. After that, he was never really involved.``

Doug Wilson was able to return to the game in the third period after a preliminary examination revealed only bruises to the ankle.

The period was all Edmonton. Gretzky`s pass put Mike Krushelnyski in the open for his 40th goal of the season with 15:20 remaining. Coffey lost rookie winger Ed Olczyk and beat rookie goalie Warren Skorodenski 21 seconds later.

``All of a sudden it was four, then five, then six, then seven,`` Murray said. ``The tempo definitely did change between the second and third periods. We got tired and they just kept skating, skating, skating. They showed why they`re the best team in hockey.``

The Hawks were five goals behind before Savard concluded the scoring with his 38th goal, his season high in the NHL, on a late power play.